On-chip calibration system and method for infrared sensor

ABSTRACT

A radiation sensor includes an integrated circuit radiation sensor chip ( 1 A) including first ( 7 ) and second ( 8 ) thermopile junctions connected in series to form a thermopile ( 7,8 ) within a dielectric stack ( 3 ). The first thermopile junction ( 7 ) is insulated from a substrate ( 2 ) of the chip. A resistive heater ( 6 ) in the dielectric stack for heating the first thermopile junction is coupled to a calibration circuit ( 67 ) for calibrating responsivity of the thermopile ( 7,8 ). The calibration circuit causes a current flow in the heater and multiplies the current by a resulting voltage across the heater to determine power dissipation. A resulting thermoelectric voltage (Vout) of the thermopile ( 7,8 ) is divided by the power to provide the responsivity of the sensor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/396,408,filed Feb. 14, 2012, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.12/380,318, filed on Feb. 26, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,129,682), whichis related to the assignee's co-pending application Ser. No. 12/380,316,filed Feb. 26, 2009, which are hereby incorporated by reference for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to internal calibration structures,circuitry, and methods for various semiconductor-processing-compatibleinfrared (IR) sensor structures and fabrication methods.

The closest prior art is believed to include the article “Investigationof Thermopile Using CMOS Compatible Process and Front-Side Si BulkEtching” by Chen-Hsun-Du and Chengkuo Lee, Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 4176(2000), pp. 168-178, incorporated herein by reference. Infraredthermopile sensor physics and measurement of IR radiation usingthermopiles are described in detail in this reference. Prior Art FIG. 1herein shows the CMOS-processing-compatible IR sensor integrated circuitchip in FIG. 1 of the foregoing article. “Prior Art” FIG. 1 herein issimilar to that drawing.

Referring to Prior Art FIG. 1 herein, the IR sensor chip includes asilicon substrate 2 having a CMOS-processing-compatible dielectric(SiO₂) stack 3 thereon including a number of distinct sub-layers. AN-type polysilicon (polycrystalline silicon) trace 11 and an aluminumtrace M1 in dielectric stack 3 form a first “thermopile junction” wherethe polysilicon trace and the aluminum trace are joined. Additionaloxide layers and additional metal traces also may be included indielectric stack 3. An oxide passivation layer 12A is formed on top ofdielectric stack 3, and a nitride passivation layer 12B is formed onoxide passivation layer 12A. A number of silicon etchant openings 24extend through nitride passivation layer 12 and dielectric stack 3 tothe top surface of silicon substrate 2 and are used to etch a cavity 4in silicon substrate 2 underneath the portion of dielectric stack 3 inwhich the thermopile is formed, to thermally isolate it from siliconsubstrate 2.

A second thermopile junction (not shown) is also formed in dielectricstack 3 but is not thermally isolated from silicon substrate 2 andtherefore is at the same temperature as silicon substrate 2. Thetemperatures of the first and second thermopile junctions are designatedT1 and T2, respectively. The first and second thermopile junctions areconnected in series and form a single “thermopile”. The various siliconetchant openings 24 are formed in regions in which there are nopolysilicon or aluminum traces, as shown in the dark areas in FIG. 2 ofthe Du and Lee article.

Incoming IR radiation indicated by arrows 5 in Prior Art FIG. 1 impingeson the “front side” or “active surface” of the IR sensor chip. (The“back side” of the chip is the bottom surface of silicon substrate 2 asit appears in Prior Art FIG. 1.) The incoming IR radiation 5 causes thetemperature of the thermopile junction supported on the “floating”portion of dielectric membrane 3 located directly above cavity 4 to begreater than the temperature of the second thermopile junction (notshown) in dielectric membrane 3 which is not insulated by cavity 4.

The IR radiation sensor in Prior Art FIG. 1 measures the temperaturedifference T1−T2 and produces an output voltage proportional to thattemperature difference. The aluminum trace and N-type polycrystallinesilicon trace of which the first and second thermopile junctions areformed both are available in a typical standard CMOS wafer fabricationprocess.

A polycrystalline silicon heater is shown in FIG. 2 of the Du and Leearticle, and is described as providing a given bias leading tothermopile power generation used to characterize the thermal conductanceand capacitance of the thermopile membrane materials.

The prior art also includes the commercially available MLX90614 familyof IR radiation sensors marketed by Melexis Microelectronic IntegratedSystems. These devices are packaged in metal TO-39 packages havingwindows through which impinging IR radiation can pass in order to reachthe packaged IR sensors.

The above described prior art IR sensors require large, expensivepackages. The foregoing prior art IR radiation sensors need to blockvisible light while transmitting IR radiation to the thermopiles inorder to prevent false IR radiation intensity measurements due toambient visible lighting conditions. To accomplish this, the packagestypically have a silicon window or a window with baffles. Furthermore,the “floating” portion of dielectric membrane over cavity 4 in Prior ArtFIG. 1 is quite fragile. In many of the prior art IR sensors, thesilicon cavity is etched from the “back side” of the silicon wafer. Thiscreates a large opening span that is difficult to protect.

It would be highly desirable to provide smaller, more economical, andmore robust IR sensors than are known in the prior art for variousapplications such as non-contact measurement of temperature and remotemeasurement gas concentrations. It is believed that many markets wouldbe very receptive to substantially smaller, substantially moreeconomical IR radiation sensor devices than those of the prior art.

The prior art laboratory approach to calibrating thermopile responsivityrequires a previously-calibrated infrared radiation source. The IRsensor is illuminated by a known IR source, and the resulting value ofVout is measured. Then a somewhat complicated calculation of theinfrared power being absorbed by the thermopile is performed in order todetermine the responsivity in volts per watt. The prior art calibrationprocedure is very sensitive to the equipment set-up and to the variancesand accuracy of the various components of the equipment set-up.

The Du and Lee article describes the IR sensor mounted inside a metalpackage having a window through which ambient IR radiation passes toreach the thermopile in the packaged IR sensor chip. The IR sensor chipdescribed in the Du and Lee article is not believed to have ever beencommercially available.

There is an unmet need for an IR radiation sensor which is more easilycalibrated than the IR radiation sensors of the prior art.

There also is an unmet need for an IR radiation sensor which is moreeasily calibrated in the field than the IR radiation sensors of theprior art.

There also is an unmet need for an internal calibration structure andcircuit for an IR radiation sensor.

There also is an unmet need for an internal calibration structure andcircuit an IR radiation sensor which provides more convenient, moreaccurate responsivity calibration than has been achievable in the IRradiation sensors of the prior art.

There also is an unmet need for a robust internal calibration structureand circuit in an IR radiation sensor which provides more convenientresponsivity calibration than has been achievable in the IR radiationsensors of the prior art.

There also is an unmet need for an improved method of fabricatingcalibration structure and circuitry in an infrared radiation sensor.

There also is an unmet need for an IR radiation sensor which is moreeasily calibrated than the IR radiation sensors of the prior art.

There also is an unmet need for an improved method of fabricatingcalibration structure and circuitry in an infrared radiation sensor.

There also is an unmet need for an improved method of fabricatingcalibration structure and circuitry in asemiconductor-processing-compatible IR sensor device.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the invention to provide an IR radiation sensor whichis more easily calibrated than the IR radiation sensors of the priorart.

It is another object of the invention to provide an IR radiation sensorwhich is more easily calibrated in the field than the IR radiationsensors of the prior art.

It is an object of the invention to provide an internal calibrationstructure and circuit for an IR radiation sensor.

It is another object of the invention to provide an internal calibrationstructure and circuit for an IR radiation sensor which provides moreconvenient, more accurate responsivity calibration than has beenachievable in the IR radiation sensors of the prior art.

It is another object of the invention to provide a robust internalcalibration structure and circuit in an IR radiation sensor whichprovides more convenient responsivity calibration than has beenachievable in the IR radiation sensors of the prior art.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method offabricating calibration structure and circuitry in an infrared radiationsensor.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method offabricating calibration structure and circuitry in asemiconductor-processing-compatible IR sensor device.

Briefly described, and in accordance with one embodiment, the presentinvention provides a radiation sensor includes an integrated circuitradiation sensor chip (1A) including first (7) and second (8) thermopilejunctions connected in series to form a thermopile (7,8) within adielectric stack (3). The first thermopile junction (7) is insulatedfrom a substrate (2) of the chip. A resistive heater (6) in thedielectric stack for heating the first thermopile junction is coupled toa calibration circuit (67) for calibrating responsivity of thethermopile (7,8). The calibration circuit causes a current flow in theheater and multiplies the current by a resulting voltage across theheater to determine power dissipation. A resulting thermoelectricvoltage (Vout) of the thermopile (7,8) is divided by the power toprovide the responsivity of the sensor.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a radiation sensor includingan integrated circuit radiation sensor chip (1A) which includes first(7) and second (8) thermopile junctions connected in series to form athermopile (7,8) within a dielectric stack (3) of the radiation sensorchip (1). The first thermopile junction (7) is more thermally insulatedfrom a substrate (2) of the radiation sensor chip (1) than the secondthermopile junction (8). A resistive heater (6) is disposed in thedielectric stack (3) coupled to a calibration circuit (67) for heatingthe first thermopile junction (7) to effectuate calibration ofresponsivity of the thermopile (7,8). Responsive the calibrationcircuitry (67) is coupled to terminals of the resistive heater (6), forcalibrating the responsivity of the thermopile (7,8). In a describedembodiment, the first thermopile junction (7) is insulated from thesubstrate (2) by means of a cavity (4) between the substrate (2) and thedielectric stack (3). In a, the dielectric stack (3) is a CMOSsemiconductor process dielectric stack including a plurality of SiO₂sublayers (3-1,2 . . . 6) and various polysilicon traces, titaniumnitride traces, tungsten contacts, and aluminum metallization tracesbetween the various sublayers patterned to provide the first (7) andsecond (8) thermopile junctions connected in series to form thethermopile (7,8). In a described embodiment, the resistive heater (6) iscomposed of sichrome.

In a described embodiment, each of the first (7) and second (8)thermopile junctions is composed of a plurality of series-connectedthermopile junctions connected in series, respectively. A plurality ofbonding pads (28A) on the radiation sensor chip (1) are coupled to thethermopile (7,8) and a plurality of bump conductors (28) are bonded tothe bonding pads (28A), respectively, for physically and electricallyconnecting the radiation sensor chip (1) to conductors on a printedcircuit board (23), and no chip coating material blocks radiation to besensed by the radiation sensor device (27). CMOS circuitry (45) iscoupled between first (+) and second (−) terminals of the thermopile(7,8) to receive and operate upon a thermoelectric voltage (Vout)generated by the thermopile (7,8) in response to infrared (IR) radiationreceived by the radiation sensor chip (1). The CMOS circuitry also iscoupled to the bonding pads (28A). In one embodiment, the CMOS circuitry(45) includes an amplifier (44) has an input selectively coupled toreceive the voltage (Vout) and an output of a local temperature circuit(56). The amplifier (44) has an output coupled to an input of adelta-sigma analog-to-digital converter (55). The delta-sigmaanalog-to-digital converter (55) has an output (58) coupled to an inputof a digital interpolator (59) for linearizing an output signal producedby the delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter (55).

In a described embodiment, the substrate (2) is composed of silicon topass infrared radiation to the thermopile (7,8) and block visibleradiation, and further includes a passivation layer (12) disposed on thedielectric stack (3), a plurality of generally circular etchant openings(24) located between the various traces and extending through thepassivation layer (12) and the dielectric layer (3) to the cavity (4)for introducing silicon etchant to produce the cavity (4) by etching thesilicon substrate (2). A cap layer (34) is disposed on the passivationlayer (12) to cover the etchant openings (24) to protect the cavity (4)from contamination and to reinforce the portion of the dielectric stack(3) spanning the cavity (4). In one embodiment, the passivation layer(12) is composed of silicon nitride and the cap layer (34) is composedof roll-on epoxy film material and is of substantially greater the samethickness than the dielectric stack (3).

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for making aradiation sensor device (27), including providing an integrated circuitradiation sensor chip (1A) including first (7) and second (8) thermopilejunctions connected in series to form a thermopile (7,8) within adielectric stack (3) of the radiation sensor chip (1), the firstthermopile junction (7) being more thermally insulated from a substrate(2) of the radiation sensor chip (1) than the second thermopile junction(8), providing a resistive heater (6) disposed in the dielectric stack(3) coupled to a calibration circuit (67) for heating the firstthermopile junction (7) to effectuate calibration of responsivity of thethermopile (7,8), providing responsivity calibration circuitry (67)coupled to terminals of the resistive heater (6), operating theresponsivity calibration circuitry (67) to cause a predetermined amountof current to flow through the resistive heater (6) and multiplying thepredetermined amount of current by a resulting voltage across theresistive heater (6) to determine an amount of power dissipated therein,and determining a thermoelectric voltage (Vout) produced by thethermopile (7,8) in response to heating thereof by the resistive heater(6) and computing the responsivity of the thermopile (7,8) by dividingthe thermoelectric voltage (Vout) by the amount of power dissipated inthe resistive heater (6). In a described embodiment, the method includesinsulating the first thermopile junction (7) from the substrate (2) byetching a cavity (4) in the substrate (2) between the first thermopilejunction (7) and the substrate (2).

In a described embodiment, the invention includes coupling thethermopile (7,8) between first (11A) and second (11B) terminals of CMOScircuitry (45) included in the radiation sensor chip (1) for receivingand operating upon the thermoelectric voltage (Vout) generated by thethermopile (7,8) in response to radiation received by the sensor chip(1). The dielectric stack (3) is a CMOS process dielectric stackincluding a plurality of SiO₂ sublayers (3-1,2 . . . 6) and variouspolysilicon traces, titanium nitride traces, tungsten contacts, andaluminum metallization traces between the various sublayers patterned toprovide the first (8) and second (7) thermopile junctions connected inseries, and wherein the substrate (2) is composed of silicon, and themethod includes forming a passivation layer (12) on the dielectric stack(3), forming a plurality of etchant openings (24) located betweenvarious traces and extending through the passivation layer (12) and thedielectric layer (3) to the cavity (4), introducing silicon etchantthrough the etchant openings (24) to etch the cavity (4) into thesubstrate (2), and forming a cap layer (34) on the passivation layer(12) to cover the etchant openings (24) to protect the cavity (4) fromcontamination and to reinforce a portion of the dielectric stack (3)spanning the cavity (4) by rolling epoxy film material onto thepassivation layer (12), the cap layer (34) being sufficiently thick andstrong to substantially reinforce the portion of the dielectric stack(3) spanning the cavity (4).

In a described embodiment, the method includes forming a plurality ofbonding pads (28A) on the radiation sensor chip (1), the bonding pads(28A) being coupled to the thermopile (7,8), and bonding a plurality ofbump conductors (28) to the bonding pads (28A), respectively, tophysically and electrically connect the radiation sensor chip (1) toconductors on a printed circuit board (23).

In one embodiment, the invention provides radiation sensor (1A)including an integrated circuit radiation sensor chip (1A) includingfirst (7) and second (8) thermopile junctions connected in series toform a thermopile (7,8) within a dielectric stack (3) of the radiationsensor chip (1), the first thermopile junction (7) being more thermallyinsulated from a substrate (2) of the radiation sensor chip (1) than thesecond thermopile junction (8), heating means (6) disposed in thedielectric stack (3) coupled to a calibration circuit (67) for heatingthe first thermopile junction (7) to effectuate calibration of theresponsivity of the thermopile (7,8), responsivity calibration circuitry(67) coupled to terminals of the resistive heater (6), means (50,69) inthe responsivity calibration circuitry (67) for causing a predeterminedamount of current to flow through the heating means (6), means (59) formultiplying the predetermined amount of current by a resulting voltageacross the heating means (6) to determine an amount of power dissipatedtherein, means (44,55) for determining a thermoelectric voltage (Vout)produced by the thermopile (7,8) in response to the heating thereof bythe heating means (6), and means (59) for and computing the responsivityof the thermopile (7,8) by dividing the thermoelectric voltage (Vout) bythe amount of power dissipated in the heating means (6).

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basisfor modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a section view diagram of a prior art IR radiation detectorsupported in a membrane formed in a CMOS-processing-compatible process;

FIG. 2 is a generalized section view diagram illustrating use of aninternal heater element to facilitate field calibration of an IRradiation detector such as the one shown in Prior Art FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a section view of a CMOS-processing-compatible IR sensor chipaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a section view of a CMOS-processing-compatible IR sensor chipfurther including an internal sichrome heater and calibration circuitryfor calibrating the thermopile in the chip;

FIG. 4 is a more generalized section view diagram of the IR sensor ofFIG. 3A, indicating various minimum dimensions of one embodimentthereof;

FIG. 5 is a schematic section view diagram of theCMOS-processing-compatible IR sensor of FIG. 3A implemented in a WCSP(Wafer Chip Scale Package);

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the WCSP package as shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7A is a generalized plan view illustrating the layout approach ofthe thermopiles in details 7 and 8 in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 7B is an enlarged plan view of thermopiles in details 7 and 8 asshown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an analog gain/filter circuit which can beincluded in CMOS circuitry 45 of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 9A is a diagram of digital signal processing circuitry that can beincluded in block 45 of FIG. 3A and internal responsivity calibrationstructure and circuitry that can be included in block 67 of FIG. 3B;

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of circuitry in block 56 of FIG. 9A; and

FIGS. 10A-10G show a sequence of section view diagrams of the IR sensorstructures generated according to the process for fabricating the IRsensor chip of FIG. 3A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are, for the sake ofclarity, not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similarelements are designated by the same reference numeral through theseveral views.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an IR sensor chip 1 of thepresent invention, with the sensor chip 1 inverted relative to theorientation shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, IR detector chip 1 includessilicon substrate 2 in which cavity 4 is formed. A conventionalCMOS-processing-compatible SiO₂ dielectric stack 3 is formed on thelower surface of silicon substrate 2. The upward-oriented back surfaceof silicon substrate 2 receives IR radiation 5 and passes it through toSiO₂ stack 3 while filtering out any ambient visible light. SiO₂ stack 3may contain various aluminum traces, polysilicon traces, and variousother traces and metal contacts that are available in some conventionalCMOS wafer fabrication processes. A first thermopile junction 7 isformed by dissimilar materials within dielectric stack 3 adjacent tocavity 4, and is thermally insulated, by cavity 4, from siliconsubstrate 2. A second thermopile junction 8 is formed by dissimilarmaterials within dielectric stack 3 adjacent to the lower surface ofsilicon substrate 2. Thermopile junctions 7 and 8 are connected inseries, as indicated by dashed line 9, to form a thermopile 7,8. Theterminals of thermopile 7,8 are schematically represented by conductors11A and 11B.

The portion of SiO₂ stack 3 spanning the opening of cavity 4 forms athin “floating” membrane which supports thermopile junction 7, and alsosupports a resistive heater 6 if one is used. IR radiation 5 impingesuniformly on the upper surface of silicon substrate 2, differentiallyheating both of thermopile junctions 7 and 8. This results in thetemperature T1 of thermopile junction 7 and the temperature T2 ofthermopile junction 8 being different because of the insulative orthermal resistance properties of cavity 4. The thermoelectric outputvoltage difference Vout between thermopile terminals 11A and 11B in FIG.2 is generally indicated by the simplified expression

Vout=(T1−T2)(S1−S2),

where T1−T2 is the temperature difference between the two thermopilejunctions 7 and 8, and where S1 and S2 are the Seebeck coefficients ofthermopile 7,8. Different materials have different Seebeck coefficients.The Seebeck coefficient of a thermopile is a measured physical constantthat is a function of the difference between the polysilicon andaluminum materials of which the thermopile is composed. Each of thepolysilicon material and the aluminum material has its own Seebeckcoefficient, the polysilicon having the higher Seebeck coefficient. Thedifference in the Seebeck coefficients of the polysilicon and thealuminum, multiplied by the temperature difference T1−T2, is the outputvoltage Vout of the series-connected poly/aluminum thermopile junctions7 and 8 which form thermopile 7,8.

A resistive heater 6 may be formed within SiO₂ stack 3, for the purposeof facilitating convenient field calibration of the responsivity ofthermopile 7,8, wherein the responsivity is defined as the output signal(Vout) in volts per watt of power absorbed by thermopile 7,8 Note thatheater 6 is unlike the heater shown in FIG. 2 of the Du and Lee article,which is used for characterizing heat conductance and capacitance in thefloating thermopile membrane over the cavity of the IR sensor structure.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-section of an integrated circuit IR sensor chip 1which includes silicon substrate 2 and cavity 4 therein, generally asshown in FIG. 2 except that chip 1 is inverted. Silicon substrate 2includes a thin layer (not shown) of epitaxial silicon into which cavity4 is etched, and also includes the silicon wafer substrate on which theoriginal epitaxial silicon layer is grown. IR sensor chip 1 includesSiO₂ stack 3 formed on the upper surface of silicon substrate 2. SiO₂stack 3 includes multiple oxide layers 3-1,2 . . . 6 as required tofacilitate fabrication within SiO₂ stack 3 of N-doped polysilicon layer13, titanium nitride layer 15, tungsten contact layers 14-1, 14-2, 15-1,15-2, and 17, first aluminum metallization layer M1, second aluminummetallization layer M2, third aluminum metallization layer M3, andvarious elements of CMOS circuitry in block 45. (Note however, that insome cases it may be economic and/or practical to provide onlythermopile 7,8 on IR sensor chip 1 and provide all signal amplification,filtering, and/or digital or mixed signal processing on a separate chipor chips.)

The various layers shown in dielectric stack 3, including polysiliconlayer 13, titanium nitride layer 15, aluminum first metallization layerM1, aluminum second metallization layer M2, and aluminum thirdmetallization layer M3 each are formed on a corresponding oxidesub-layer of dielectric stack 3. Thermopile 7,8 thus is formed withinSiO₂ stack 3. Cavity 4 in silicon substrate 2 is located directlybeneath thermopile junction 7, and therefore thermally insulatesthermopile junction 7 from silicon substrate 2. However thermopilejunction 8 is located directly adjacent to silicon substrate 2 andtherefore is at essentially the same temperature as silicon substrate 2.A relatively long, narrow polysilicon trace 13 is disposed on a SiO₂sub-layer 3-1 of dielectric stack 3 and extends between tungsten contact14-2 (in thermopile junction 7) and tungsten contact 14-1 (in thermopilejunction 8). Titanium nitride trace 15 extends between tungsten contact15-1 (in thermopile junction 8) and tungsten contact 15-2 (in thermopilejunction 7). Thus, polysilicon trace 13 and titanium nitride trace 15both function as parts of thermopile 7,8. Thermopile 7,8 is referred toas a poly/titanium-nitride thermopile, since the Seebeck coefficients ofthe various aluminum traces cancel and the Seebeck coefficients of thevarious tungsten contacts 14-1, 14-2, 15-2, and 17 also cancel becausethe temperature difference across the various connections is essentiallyequal to zero.

The right end of polysilicon layer 13 is connected to the right end oftitanium nitride trace 15 by means of tungsten contact 14-2, aluminumtrace 16-3, and tungsten contact 15-2 so as to form “hot” thermopilejunction 7. Similarly, the left end of polysilicon layer 13 is connectedby tungsten contact 14-1 to aluminum trace 11B and the left end oftitanium nitride trace 15 is coupled by tungsten contact 15-1, aluminumtrace 16-2, and tungsten contact 17 to aluminum trace 11A, so as tothereby form “cold” thermopile junction 8. The series-connectedcombination of the two thermopile junctions 7 and 8 forms thermopile7,8.

Aluminum metallization interconnect layers M1, M2, and M3 are formed onthe SiO₂ sub-layers 3-3, 3-4, and 3-5, respectively, of dielectric stack3. A conventional silicon nitride passivation layer 12 is formed onanother oxide sub-layer 3-6 of dielectric layer 3. A number ofrelatively small-diameter etchant holes 24 extend from the top ofpassivation layer 12 through dielectric stack 3 into cavity 4, betweenthe various patterned metallization (M1, M2 and M3), titanium nitride,and polysilicon traces which form thermopile junctions 7 and 8. Assubsequently explained, silicon etchant is introduced through etchantholes 24 to etch cavity 4 into the upper surface of silicon substrate 2.Note that providing the etchant openings 24 is not conventional instandard CMOS processing or bipolar integrated circuit processing, noris the foregoing silicon etching used in this manner in standard CMOSprocessing or bipolar integrated circuit processing.

The small diameters of etchant holes 24 are selected in order to providea more robust floating thermopile membrane, and hence a more robust IRradiation sensor. The diameters of the etchant hole openings 24 can varyfrom 10 microns to 30 microns with a spacing ratio of 3:1 maximum to1:1. The spacings between the various etchant openings 24 can be in arange from approximately 10 to 60 microns. The smaller spacing ratio(i.e., the distance between the edges of the holes divided by thediameter of the holes) has the disadvantage that it results in lowertotal thermopile responsivity, due to the packing factor (the number ofthermopile junctions per square millimeter of surface area) of the manythermopile junctions (see FIGS. 6, 7A and 7B) of which thermopilejunctions 7 and 8 are composed, respectively. However, a smaller spacingratio results in a substantially faster silicon etching time. Therefore,there is a trade-off between the robustness of the membrane and the costof etching of cavity 4.

In accordance with the described embodiments of the invention, a roll-onepoxy film 34 is provided on nitride passivation layer 12 to permanentlyseal the upper ends of etch openings 24 and to reinforce the “floatingmembrane” portion of dielectric layer 3. Although there may be someapplications of the invention which do not require epoxy cover plate 34,the use of epoxy cover plate 34 is an important aspect of providing areliable WCSP package configuration of the IR sensors of the presentinvention. In an embodiment of the invention under development, epoxycover plate 34 is substantially thicker (roughly 16 microns) than theentire thickness (roughly 6 microns) of dielectric stack 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates minimum dimensions, in microns, of the variousfeatures of cavity 4 and the “floating” membrane portion of dielectriclayer 3 which supports thermopile junction 7 above cavity 4, for anembodiment of the invention presently under development. In thatembodiment the etchant openings are at least 10 microns (μ) in diameterand are spaced at least approximately 10μ apart. The span of cavity 4 istypically 400μ, and its depth is at least 10μ.

The titanium nitride is used instead of aluminum because titaniumnitride has lower thermal conductivity than aluminum. The higher thermalconductivity of aluminum causes it to provide a thermal path that lowersthe responsivity of the IR sensor. Using the titanium nitride instead ofaluminum helps to minimize the thermal conductivity and also helps tomaximize the Seebeck response by increasing the T1−T2 temperaturedifference of the thermopile junction 7 in FIG. 3A. (In some standardCMOS processes, the titanium nitride is used for the top layer of thepolysilicon/titanium nitride capacitor and also is used for connectionto sichrome resistors.) Since thermopile junctions 7 and 8 are connectedin series, the Seebeck coefficient of one is subtracted from the Seebeckcoefficient of the other. Since there are two aluminum connections inthermopile 7,8, the Seebeck coefficients of the polysilicon and thetitanium nitride materials of which thermopile 7,8 is composed aresummed algebraically to obtain the net Seebeck coefficient between thetitanium nitride and the polysilicon in thermopile 7,8 and the Seebeckcoefficients of the aluminum connections cancel. The net Seebeckcoefficient is a fairly large, easy-to-measure voltage, typicallybetween 1 μV (microvolt) and 1 mV (millivolt). That voltage ismultiplied by the temperature difference T1−T2 between thermopilejunctions 7 and 8 to generate the value of Vout according to thepreviously indicated equation. Typically, many thermopile junctions(e.g. 200-300 or more) are connected in series in order to provide athermopile having greater responsivity (i.e., larger output voltage).

The differential voltage Vout generated between (−) conductor 11B and(+) conductor 11A can be applied to the input of the CMOS circuitry inblock 45. Block 45 can include the gain/filter amplifier 45A in FIG. 8or some or all of the “mixed signal” circuitry 45B shown FIG. 9A.

Referring to FIG. 3B, IR sensor chip 1B is the same as chip 1A in FIG.3A except that an internal resistive sichrome (SiCr) heater 6 has beenincluded in SiO₂ stack 3 directly above cavity 4 and thermopile junction7. Sichrome heater 6 is formed by elongated sichrome trace 6, which isdisposed on a SiO₂ sublayer between the M1 and M2 metallization layers.The right end of sichrome trace 6 is connected by tungsten contact 65 toan aluminum trace 63 of the M2 metallization layer to form a (−)terminal of CMOS thermopile responsivity calibration circuitry in block67, various parts of which are included in silicon substrate 2. The leftend of sichrome trace 6 is coupled by a pair of tungsten contacts 64 andan aluminum trace of the M2 metallization layer to the left end of analuminum trace 19 of the M3 metallization layer to form a (+) terminalof the thermopile responsivity calibration circuitry in block 67.(Alternatively, resistive heater 6 could be composed of polycrystallinesilicon or other resistive material instead of sichrome.)

Subsequently described FIG. 9A in part shows a simplified diagram ofresponsivity calibration circuitry including a switch 69 controlled by asignal CALIBRATE that connects one terminal of sichrome heater 6 to areference voltage V+, the other terminal of sichrome heater 6 beingconnected by conductor 66 to one terminal of a current source 50, theother terminal of which is connected to ground. The signal CALIBRATEturns on switch 69 at least long enough for thermal equilibrium to beestablished between heating element 6 and thermopile junction 7,typically at least a number of milliseconds. Current source 50determines the amount of current flowing through sichrome heater 6. Theupper terminal 68 of sichrome heater 6 is connected to another terminalof switch 51, and the lower terminal 66 of sichrome heater 6 isconnected to another terminal of switch S2. Therefore, delta-sigma ADC55 functions as a high-impedance voltmeter when the pole terminals ofsingle-pole, triple throw switches 51 and S2 are connected to conductors68 and 66, respectively. Therefore, the known current through currentsource 50 can be multiplied by the voltage across sichrome heater 6during the calibration process to compute the power dissipated insichrome heater 6 and hence also absorbed by thermopile junction 7.

Circuitry included in block 67 of FIG. 3B uses digital values producedby ADC 55 and subsequently described digital interpolator 59 to multiplythe voltage across sichrome heater 6 by the current in current source 50to obtain the power dissipation (in watts) and uses that information todetermine a responsivity calibration factor. That calibration factor isused as a scale factor in digital interpolator 59. The above mentionedmultiplication occurs within digital interpolator 59.

The purpose of the responsivity calibration process is to establish Voutas a function of the number of watts being dissipated in thermopile 7,8.The responsivity of thermopile 7,8 is the number of volts (Vout)generated by the thermopile 7,8 divided by the amount of power in wattsbeing dissipated therein. The value of Vout in volts is obtained fromthe measurement of Vout produced by thermopile 7,8. Since sichromeheater 6 and the calibration circuitry in block 67 are embedded ininfrared sensor chip 1, there is no variance from one responsivitycalibration operation to the next. In contrast, the previously describedprior art calibration procedure is much more sensitive to the equipmentset-up and variances in accuracy of the various components of theequipment set-up. The accuracy of the measurement of current andresistance is greater than 0.01%.

Note that increasing of the thermal conductivity of the “floating”sensor membrane and the cavity 4 and the conductivity of the thermopilereduces the sensitivity, in volts per watt, of thermopile 7,8. Also, theinfrared absorption efficiency of the IR sensor chip 1 also determinesthe sensitivity of thermopile 7,8. The Seebeck coefficient of thematerials in the thermopile also affect the sensor chip sensitivity. Theinternal heater 6 and calibration procedure of the present invention canbe used to determine the combination of thermal conductivity and Seebeckcoefficient for the thermopile. The thermal conductivity and Seebeckcoefficient are not independently determined by this measurement. Allterms are included in the measured values of Vout while the power isapplied. In other words, Vout includes the effects of the thermalconductivity and the Seebeck coefficient and the number of thermopilejunctions. The only remaining term which needs to be calibrated “in thefield” is the IR absorption, and if the absorber material properties aresufficiently small (±5%), then no field calibration will be required.However, if prior art “laboratory” calibration techniques are used, thena significant amount of calibration range will be necessary in order toobtain the required sensor performance. There can be a variation of+−20% in thermal conductivity, which will need to be taken into accountby the calibration. The amount of expected variation in IR absorption is+−5%.

FIG. 5 shows a partial section view including an IR sensor device 27which includes above described IR sensor chip 1 as part of a modifiedWCSP (Wafer Chip Scale Package), wherein various solder bumps 28 arebonded to corresponding specialized solder bump bonding pads 28A on IRsensor chip 1. The modified WCSP technique indicated in FIG. 5 does notinclude any encapsulation material on the top surface of IR sensor chip1, in order to avoid blocking the incident IR radiation 5. (Note thatthe prior art provides epoxy encapsulation or the like on the topsurface of a WCSP-packaged chip. However, this would block IR radiation5 as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, no coating or encapsulation that wouldblock IR radiation 5 should be provided on top of IR sensor chip 1 asshown in FIG. 5.) The various solder bumps 28 are also bonded tocorresponding traces 23A on a printed circuit board 23. (It is believedthat one reason that WCSP packaging for the previously mentioned Du andLee infrared sensor is that the floating membrane supporting one of thethermopile junctions over the cavity as shown in FIG. 1 of Du and Lee(Prior Art FIG. 1 herein) is far too fragile. The fragility is partlycaused by the irregular sizes and spacings of the etchant openings andpartly by the thinness of the dielectric layer 3.)

FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of the WCSP-packaged IR sensor chip 1 andsolder bumps 28. Eight solder bumps 28 are provided as shown along the 4edges of IR sensor chip 1 (although a conventional WCSP package alsoincludes a centered ninth solder bump). The thermopile membrane in whichthermopile junction 7 is supported is located generally in the middleportion of IR sensor chip 1, as indicated by reference 7 in FIG. 6, andis too fragile to support a solder bump, so the typical middle solderbump of a standard WCSP package is omitted from IR sensor device 27.Furthermore, a middle solder bump would tend to act as a thermal shortcircuit and reduce the responsivity of thermopile 7,8 to the ambient IRradiation to nearly zero.

The bumps or “bump conductors” 28 may be composed of lead-tin orgold-tin, and are bonded to the active surface of IR sensor chip 1 toform IR sensor device 27 as a WCSP packaged chip. (Somewhat differentbonding pad configurations are used on integrated circuit chips if bumpconductors are to be formed on the bonding pads, in order to accommodatethe bump conductors.) The solder bump bonding pads typically are 300μ indiameter, as apposed to 75μ in diameter for typical wire bonding pads.(Copper plating typically is provided on the solder bump bonding pads toenable solder to wet to the surface.)

The presence of cover plate 34 in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the thickness ofwhich may be comparable to or greater than the thickness of dielectriclayer 3, substantially strengthens the floating membrane portion ofdielectric stack 3. Without the previously mentioned small, circularetchant openings 24 and the strong, relatively thick cover plate 34, theWCSP packaging of the IR sensor chips shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B isimpractical.

FIG. 7A is a partial plan view wherein reference numeral 7A shows thelayout of a few of the polysilicon traces 13 and titanium nitride traces15 of which multiple thermopile junctions 7 are composed. The titaniumnitride traces 13 are located directly over polysilicon traces 15, asshown in FIG. 3A. Trace 16-3 of the M1 metallization layer connectstungsten vias 14-2 and 15-2 in FIG. 7A, as also shown in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 7B shows an expanded view including the portion 7A of thermopilejunction 7 appearing in the area designated by reference numeral 7 shownin FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a thermopile gain/filter circuit 45Awhich can be included in block 45 in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In FIG. 8,gain/filter circuit 45A includes an input amplifier stage 47, a filterstage 48, and an output stage 49. This circuitry, which is conventionalin IR sensor devices, provides an analog technique for converting a lowlevel, high impedance input voltage to a high level, low impedanceoutput voltage. The input impedance typically is between 1 megohm and 40megohms. The signal Vout produced by thermopile 7,8 can be from about amicrovolt to a millivolt, and typically needs to be amplified by atleast 1000. The filtering provided by gain/filter circuit 45A isdesirable because a typical temperature measurement of an IR radiationsource occurs at a very low frequency close to DC (e.g., less than about10 Hz). Gain/filter amplifier 45A filters out high-frequency noise, tothereby provide an improved signal-to-noise ratio of IR sensor chip 1.(Note however, that this does not decrease the inherent noise in the IRsensor itself. The inherent noise of the IR sensor is a function of thesensor resistance.

Alternatively, CMOS circuitry in block 45 in FIG. 3A may include part orall of the circuitry shown in FIG. 9A. Referring to FIG. 9A, a simple,high input impedance amplifier 44 has its (+) and (−) inputs connectedto receive the thermoelectric voltage Vout produced by thermopile 7,8.Output 51 of amplifier 44 is connected to one terminal of switch S1, thepole terminal of which is connected to one input of analog-to-digitalconverter (ADC) 55, which may be a conventional delta sigma ADC.Similarly, output 52 of amplifier 44 is connected to one terminal ofswitch S2, the pole terminal of which is connected to another input ofADC 55. Another terminal of switch S1 is connected to one input of alocal temperature measurement circuit 56, and another terminal of switchS2 is connected to the other input of local temperature measurementcircuit 56. Switches S1 and S2 sequentially sample amplifier output 2and the local temperature (i.e., the temperature of substrate 2) intoADC 55 for conversion, and those results are input via bus 58 to digitalinterpolator 59.

Digital interpolator 59 produces a linearized digital output signal thatrepresents the temperature of the remote IR source sensed by thermopile7,8. Local temperature measurement circuit 56 is based on a conventionalbandgap circuit, one implementation of which is shown in FIG. 9B.

Digital interpolator circuit 59 may be implemented in various well-knownways, for example by means of a digital signal processor (DSP) asindicated on page 10 of the July, 2008 datasheet for the MLX90614 familyof IR sensors marketed by Melexis Microelectronic Integrated Systems.Alternatively, digital interpolator circuit 59 may be implemented bymeans of a lookup table stored in a read-only memory (ROM). The valuesstored in the read-only memory can be determined generally in accordancewith the following analysis and equations.

The local temperature measurement exploits the well known V_(BE)characteristics of bipolar transistors. The ADC 55 in FIG. 9A compares avoltage proportional to the absolute temperature V_(PTAT) to a referencevoltage V_(REF) which is constant with temperature. The localtemperature circuit 56 in FIG. 9A and shown in detail in subsequentlydescribed FIG. 9B performs this function to generate a voltagerepresentative of the foregoing absolute temperature T. The ratio ofthese two voltages provides the absolute temperature T. The PTAT(proportional to absolute temperature) voltage is the difference betweentwo base-emitter voltages of bipolar transistor operating withdissimilar current densities:

$\begin{matrix}{V_{PTAT} = {\frac{kT}{q}{\ln ({mn})}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1.0}\end{matrix}$

Here, m is the transistor emitter area ratio and n is the current ratioin the PTAT circuitry. The base-emitter voltage of a bipolar transistoris:

$\begin{matrix}{{V_{BE}\left( {T,I_{C}} \right)} = {E_{g} - {\frac{T}{T_{0}}\left( {E_{g} - V_{{BE},0}} \right)} + {\frac{{kT}_{0}}{q} \times \frac{T}{T_{0}}{\ln \left( \frac{I_{C}(T)}{I_{C}\left( T_{0} \right)} \right)}} - {\eta \frac{kT}{q}{\ln \left( \frac{T}{T_{0}} \right)}}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1.1}\end{matrix}$

The bandgap E_(g) of silicon, the curvature 11 and reference temperatureT₀ are constants, and the only variable parameter that needs to becompensated for is the base-emitter voltage V_(BE,0) at the referencetemperature T₀. It can be shown that a linear combination of V_(BE) andV_(PTAT) is approximately constant with a very small residual curvature:

V _(REF) =αV _(PTAT) +V _(BE)  Eq. 1.2

The gain coefficient α is trimmed in-circuit to compensate for thevariation of the initial base-emitter voltage. The ADC 55 in FIG. 9Atherefore measures the ratio

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{V_{PTAT}}{V_{REF}} = {\frac{V_{PTAT}}{{\alpha \; V_{PTAT}} + V_{BE}} = {\frac{\frac{kT}{q}{\ln ({mn})}}{V_{REF}} \propto T}}} & {{{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1.}{.3}}\end{matrix}$

The gains in the ADC implementation are selected in such a way that thedigital number representing the above ratio (the average value of thebit stream in a sigma delta ADC) can easily be converted in degreesCelsius.

The radiative heat transfer between the SiO₂ thermopile membrane and themeasured object is governed by Stefan-Boltzmann's law. In the abovedescribed embodiments of the invention, the silicon substrate 2 used forthe WCSP package and also used as the visible light filter separates theinfrared-sensitive membrane and the IR-emitting object of interest. Thiscreates multiple reflections. The IR membrane is separated by from theIR-emitting object of interest by silicon substrate 2, which is a solidshield. The total power absorbed or emitted by the thermopile 7,8 perunit area is given by the following expression:

$\begin{matrix}{S_{12} = {\left( \frac{1}{\frac{1}{ɛ_{1}} + \frac{1}{ɛ_{2}} + \frac{1}{\tau} - 2} \right){\sigma \left( {T_{1}^{4} - T_{2}^{4}} \right)}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1.4}\end{matrix}$

where T2 is the surface temperature of the thermally isolated portion ofthe SiO₂ membrane 3, T1 is the temperature of the remote IR-emittingobject of interest, ∈2 and ∈1 are the emissivities of the sensingthermopile membrane and the IR-emitting object, respectively, τ is theinfrared transmission of the silicon substrate 2, and σ isStefan-Boltzmann's constant. The voltage output V_(tp) of the thermopile7,8 is proportional to its area A_(sensor) and responsivity

$\begin{matrix}{V_{tp} = {A_{sensor}\left( T_{2} \right)\left( \frac{1}{\frac{1}{ɛ_{1}} + \frac{1}{ɛ_{2}} + \frac{1}{\tau} - 2} \right){\sigma \left( {T_{1}^{4} - T_{1}^{4}} \right)}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1.5}\end{matrix}$

The built-in ADC 55 is used to measure V_(tp) and the local temperatureT2 and to calculate the temperature T1 of the remote IR-emitting objectusing the previously calibrated responsivity R and the constants ∈1, ∈2,τ, and σ, according to the following expression:

$\begin{matrix}{T_{1} = \sqrt[4]{\frac{V_{tp}}{A_{sensor}\left( T_{2} \right)\left( \frac{1}{\frac{1}{ɛ_{1}} + \frac{1}{ɛ_{2}} + \frac{1}{\tau} - 2} \right)\sigma} + T_{2}^{4}}} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1.6}\end{matrix}$

Since equation (1.6) is not easy to calculate directly in a small sizeIR sensor implementation without digital floating point mathcapabilities, a series of look-up tables and interpolations can bereadily used to reduce the IR sensor area and power consumption. Thelook-up table values can be readily pre-calculated and stored inread-only memory (ROM).

The “linearized” digital output produced on bus 60 by digitalinterpolator 59 can be utilized internally or externally as desired forvarious applications. If a corresponding analog output signal isdesired, it can be obtained by applying the digital output signal on bus60 to the input of a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 61, whichgenerates the desired analog output signal on conductor 62. For example,the analog output signal on conductor 62 could be used in an analogcontrol loop in which the temperature is required as an input. Thedigital output signal on bus 60 could be used in an application in whichthe remote temperature value must be provided as an input to a computer.

Note that amplifier 44 does not include a filter because a filteringfunction (related to the sample frequency and the duration of each inputsampling process) is inherently built into delta-sigma ADC 5. Theprecision of the IR sensing operation is determined by the delta-sigmaconversion process.

The above mentioned linearization of the delta-sigma ADC outputgenerated on bus 58 by digital interpolator circuit 59 in FIG. 9A isnecessary because, as indicated in the foregoing analysis, the infraredenergy absorbed by thermopile 7,8 is proportional to the fourth power ofthe temperature of the remote body the temperature of which is beingmeasured, and therefore is very nonlinear with respect to temperature.The linearization process also is required in order to obtain thedigital representation on bus 60 of the temperature of the remote IRsource in degrees, rather than as a voltage. Alternatively, thelinearization could be accomplished using analog circuitry, but thatwould be less accurate, and would require substantially more circuitry(because high gain, offset compensation, and offset drift compensationwould be required). As a practical matter, these problems using analogcircuitry for the linearization would reduce the accuracy of the IRsensing.

An accurate value of the local temperature, i.e., the temperature ofthermopile 7, 8 is required to calculate the remote temperature of thesource of the IR radiation 5. The difference between remote temperatureand the local temperature determines the amount of power absorbed bythermopile 7,8.

In the described embodiments of the invention, the conventionallinearizing/interpolation procedure utilized can include selectingvalues from ROM look-up tables in digital interpolator circuit 59. Eachlook-up table contains values which are functions of the thermoelectricvoltage Vout generated by thermopile 7,8. A separate table is providedfor each of a number of values of the local temperature, respectively.The appropriate look-up table is selected according to the present valueof the local temperature, and then a value from the selected look-uptable is selected corresponding to the present value of the thermopileoutput voltage Vout.

FIG. 9B shows a schematic drawing of a well known implementation oflocal temperature circuit 56 in FIG. 9A. In FIG. 9B, local temperaturecircuit 56 includes an operational amplifier 82 having its (−) inputconnected to the emitter of a PNP transistor Q1, the base and collectorof which are connected to ground. The (+) input of amplifier 82 isconnected to a junction between resistors R1 and R2, the other terminalof resistor R2 being connected to the emitter of PNP transistor Q2, thebase and collector of which are connected to ground. The other terminalof resistor R1 is connected to the drain of P-channel transistor MP6,the source of which is connected to the drain of P-channel transistorMP2. The gate of transistor MP2 is connected to the output of amplifier82, the gate of P-channel transistor MP1, and the gate of P-channeltransistor MP4. The sources of transistors MP1, MP2, MP3, and MP4 areconnected to V_(DD). The gate of transistor MP6 is connected to thegates of P-channel transistors MP5, MP3, and MP7. The source and drainof transistor MP5 are connected to the source of transistor MP 1 and theemitter of transistor Q1, respectively. The drain of transistor MP3 isconnected to its gate and a current source I1. The source of transistorMP7 is connected to the drain of transistor MP4. The drain of transistorMP7 is connected by conductor 53 to one terminal of resistor R3 and tothe drain of N-channel transistor MN1, the source of which is connectedto ground. The gate of transistor MN1 is connected to the gate and drainof a diode-connected N-channel transistor MN2, the source of which isconnected to ground. The other terminal of resistor R3 is connected toground. A current I2 flows through transistor MN2

In operation, transistors Q1, Q2, MP1, MP2, MP5 and MP6 and resistors R1and R2 of FIG. 9B operate to generate aproportional-to-absolute-temperature bandgap voltage V_(PTAT) which isapplied to the (+) input of amplifier 82. This bandgap voltage is usedto generate a local temperature voltage V_(LOCALTEMP) (i.e., T2 in theforegoing analysis) on conductor 53 representing the temperature ofsilicon substrate 2 (FIG. 3A).

FIGS. 10A-10G show a sequence of section view diagrams of the IR sensorstructures generated according to the process for fabricating the IRsensor chip 1 of FIG. 3A. FIG. 10A shows providing an SiO₂ layer 3-1 onthe upper surface of silicon substrate 2, and then depositing a layer ofpolysilicon on the upper surface of sublayer 3-1 (see FIG. 3A). Thelayer of polysilicon then is patterned so as to provide the traces 13required to fabricate thermopile 7,8, for example in the patternillustrated in FIG. 7B. Then, as indicated in FIG. 10B, another SiO₂sub-layer (sub-layer 3-2 in FIG. 3A) is deposited on the polysilicontraces 13, and then titanium nitride layer 15 is deposited on thatsublayer and then patterned to provide the traces 15 as required to makethermopile 7,8, for example in the pattern illustrated in FIG. 7B. Thensuitable via openings are provided through the SiO₂ sub-layers 3-2 and3-3, and tungsten contacts are formed in the via openings. Next, a firstmetallization layer M1 is deposited on the SiO₂ sub-layer 3-2 andpatterned as needed to provide connection to the tungsten contacts andany CMOS circuitry (not shown) that also is also being formed oninfrared sensor chip 1.

Then, as indicated in FIG. 10C, another SiO₂ sub-layer 3-4 (FIG. 3A) isdeposited on the first metallization M1. Suitable via openings then areformed therein, and tungsten vias are formed in those the openings. Thena second aluminum metallization layer M2 is deposited on SiO₂ sub-layer3-4 and patterned as necessary to complete the formation of thermopile7,8 and also to make connections that are required for any CMOScircuitry also being formed. Next, as indicated in FIG. 10D, anotherSiO₂ sub-layer 3-5 is deposited on the aluminum metallization M2. Athird aluminum metallization layer M3, also designated by referencenumeral 19, is formed on sub-layer 3-5 and patterned as needed. Then afinal dielectric sub-layer 3-6 is deposited on the M3 metallization tocomplete the structure of SiO₂ dielectric stack 3. Then, a siliconnitride passivation layer 12 is formed on dielectric sub-layer 3-6 (FIG.3A).

Next, as indicated in FIG. 10E, silicon etchant openings 24 are formed,extending from the upper surface of silicon substrate 2 to the topsurface of passivation layer 12. Then, as indicated in FIG. 10F, aconventional isotropic silicon etchant is introduced into etchantopenings 24 in order to etch cavity 4 in the upper surface of siliconsubstrate 2 so that cavity 4 has a shape determined by the locations ofthe various etchant openings 24. The portion of thin dielectric stack 3containing etchant openings 24 and thermopile junction 7 thus becomes amore robust “floating” thermopile membrane which is thermally isolatedby cavity 4 from silicon substrate 2. Finally, as indicated in FIG. 10G,a relatively thick roll-on epoxy film or other suitable permanent caplayer 34 is provided on the upper surface of silicon nitride passivationlayer 12 in order to permanently seal cavity 4 and etchant openings 24and substantially strengthen the “floating” portion of dielectricmembrane 3. This is desirable, because during subsequent wafer sawingoperations, a very vigorous water stream impinges on the surface of IRsensor chip 1, and would tend to crush the “floating” thermopilemembrane over cavity 4. Cap layer 34 also prevents silicon residuegenerated by the wafer sawing operations from entering cavity 4.

Thus, the above described embodiments of the invention use the siliconsubstrate 2 of IR sensor chip 1 in the WCSP package configuration 27, asshown in FIG. 5, as both a protection window and a visible light filter.The sizes, shape, and number of etchant openings 24 are selected tooptimize the strength of the “floating” thermopile membrane above cavity4, and thereby result in a more robust IR radiation sensor device.Finally, the epoxy cover plate 34 preferably is placed over the sensorto seal cavity 4 and strengthen the “floating” membrane portion ofdielectric layer 3 containing thermopile junction 7. This is in contrastto the prior art, which uses expensive hermetic packages with specialsilicon windows or windows with baffles to prevent stray visible lightfrom entering the sensor package.

Having thus described the present invention by reference to certain ofits preferred embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments disclosedare illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range ofvariations, modifications, changes, and substitutions are contemplatedin the foregoing disclosure and, in some instances, some features of thepresent invention may be employed without a corresponding use of theother features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claimsbe construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of theinvention.

1. An apparatus comprising: a substrate; a dielectric stack formed over the substrate, wherein the dielectric stack includes a first thermopile junction and a second thermopile junctions that are spaced apart from one another, and wherein the dielectric stack includes a passivation layer; an opening that is formed in the dielectric stand and that extends to the substrate; a cavity formed in the substrate, wherein the cavity underlies at least a portion of the first thermopile junction; a cap layer formed over the passivation layer, wherein the cap layer substantially covers the opening; a resistive heater disposed in the dielectric stack; and a calibration circuit that is coupled to the resistive heater, wherein the calibration circuit and resistive heater are configured to heat at least one of the first and second thermopile junctions.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dielectric stack further comprises: a first layer that is formed over the substrate, wherein the first conductive layer extends between the first and second thermopile junctions; and a second layer that is formed over the substrate, wherein the first layer is coupled to the second layer, and wherein the second layer extends between the first and second thermopile junctions.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resistive heater further comprises a third layer that is formed over the substrate.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the third layer is formed over the at least a portion of the cavity such that the calibration circuit and resistive heater are configured to heat the first thermopile junction.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first, second, and third layers are respectively formed of polysilicon, titanium nitride, and silicon chromium.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus further comprises a CMOS circuit that is coupled to the first and second thermopile junctions.
 7. An apparatus comprising: a substrate; a dielectric stack having: a first dielectric layer formed over the substrate; a first electrically conductive layer formed over the first dielectric layer that extends between first and second thermopile junctions; a second dielectric layer formed over the first electrically conductive layer; a second electrically conductive layer formed over the second dielectric layer that extends between the first and second thermopile junctions; a third dielectric layer formed over the second electrically conductive layer; a resistive layer formed over the third dielectric layer; and a passivation layer formed over the resistive layer; a channel formed in the dielectric stack that extends to the substrate; a cavity formed in the substrate that underlies the first thermopile junction and at least a portion of the resistive layer; a cap layer formed over the passivation layer, wherein the cap layer substantially seals the channel; and a calibration circuit that is coupled to the resistive layer, wherein the calibration circuit and resistive layer are configured to heat the first thermopile junction.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the dielectric stack further comprises: a metallization layer that is formed over the third dielectric layer, wherein the metallization layer includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion; a first via that extends between the first electrically conductive layer and the first portion of the metallization layer; a second via that extends between the second electrically conductive layer and the first portion of the metallization layer, wherein cavity underlies the first via, the second via, and the first portion of the metallization layer; a third via that extends between the first electrically conductive layer and the second portion of the metallization layer; and a fourth via that extends between the second electrically conductive layer and the third portion of the metallization layer.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first electrically conductive layer is doped polysilicon, and wherein the second electrically conductive layer is formed of titanium nitride, and wherein the metallization layer is formed of aluminum, and wherein the resistive layer is formed of silicon chromium.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus further comprises a CMOS circuit that is coupled to the first and second thermopile junctions.
 11. A method comprising: forming a first dielectric layer formed over a substrate; forming a first electrically conductive layer formed over the first dielectric layer that extends between first and second thermopile junctions; forming a second dielectric layer formed over the first electrically conductive layer; forming a second electrically conductive layer formed over the second dielectric layer that extends between the first and second thermopile junctions; forming a third dielectric layer formed over the second electrically conductive layer; forming a resistive layer formed over the third dielectric layer; coupling the resistive layer to a calibration circuit, wherein the calibration circuit and resistive layer are configured to heat the first thermopile junction; and forming a passivation layer formed over the resistive layer; forming a channel formed in the dielectric stack that extends to the substrate; applying an etchant through the channel to form a cavity in the substrate that underlies the first thermopile junction and at least a portion of the resistive layer; forming a cap layer over the passivation layer, wherein the cap layer substantially seals the channel.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: forming a metallization layer over the third dielectric layer, wherein the metallization layer includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion; forming a first via that extends between the first electrically conductive layer and the first portion of the metallization layer; forming a second via that extends between the second electrically conductive layer and the first portion of the metallization layer, wherein cavity underlies the first via, the second via, and the first portion of the metallization layer; forming a third via that extends between the first electrically conductive layer and the second portion of the metallization layer; and forming a fourth via that extends between the second electrically conductive layer and the third portion of the metallization layer.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first electrically conductive layer is doped polysilicon, and wherein the second electrically conductive layer is formed of titanium nitride, and wherein the metallization layer is formed of aluminum, and wherein the resistive layer is formed of silicon chromium. 